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Chicken Parmigiana (Pollo alla Parmigiana)

Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts or 2 whole chicken breasts cut in half
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup Parmigiano - Reggiano cheese
  • 2 eggs
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 4 cups tomato sauce
  • vegetable or grape seed oil
  • 6 ounces mozzarella cheese grated

Instructions

Heat the Tomato Sauce

  • Pour the tomato sauce into a medium pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. By preheating the tomato sauce, this allows the dish to cook quickly in the oven, which prevents the chicken from being overcooked. Once it comes to a simmer, turn off the heat and set aside while you fry the chicken.

Shallow Fry the Chicken Breasts

  • In a large, nonstick fry pan add ⅛ inch of oil to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Test the oil by adding a breadcrumb to see if it sizzles. If the breadcrumb sizzles and turns golden, the oil is ready.
  • Place the pieces of chicken into the pan facing away from you in case the oil splatters. Once the underside is nice and golden, gently turn over.
    Continue to cook until golden on the other side.
    This should only take about two minutes per side. The chicken doesn’t need to be cooked all the way through, as it will finish baking in the oven later.
  • Transfer the chicken to a cooling rack that is resting over a baking tray. Cook the second batch, making sure that the oil is still hot enough and that the chicken sizzles nicely.
    Once all of the chicken is fried, you can begin assembling.

Assemble the Dish & Bake

  • Cover the base of a large baking dish (9" x 11" - inches) with about 2 to 3 cups of the tomato sauce. The layer of sauce should be about ½" - inch high.
  • Place the pieces of chicken into the sauce, shuffling them around a bit if needed to lay somewhat flat.
  • Next, spoon a couple of tablespoons of the sauce onto each piece, followed by a bit of grated cheese.
  • Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until cooked and heated through. If desired, you can turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking to slightly brown the cheese.